A Bit Cute and Other Drabbles
by MadnessinmyMethod
Summary: Set after the High Lord. Now going to be a bunch of SoneaxRegin drabbles. Chapter 4: Escape From the Gilded Cage. Unrelated to the others. It is not spirit that drives her. It is discontent. Is there something Regin can do about that? Uped to T for lang.
1. A Bit Cute

**Hello, there, typically I'm an Avatar writer, but I've been thinking of doing a Black Magician fanfic for awhile so there you have it. Honestly there are so many depressing, "Akkarin is dead" fics for these books, so this is a bit more light-hearted. **

Finally, after months and months of careful studying, Sonea's Healing exams were over. She had been tutored privately by Lady Vinara and what would normally have taken her several years to learn, she had mastered with fierce speed. They hadn't wanted her to be among the other novices, and to be honest, she didn't want to be around them anyway. They regarded her strangely, half in fear, half in appreciative awe. Many of them had never liked her. Those were the ones who looked at Sonea in fear.

Now she even had her own room in the Magician's Quarters. Black magic had given her this. Some days she was grateful and some days, she felt wholly unworthy. She was here because she had saved the Guild and the only way she had saved the Guild was when the man she loved had died. Sonea quickly rearranged her thoughts. She didn't want to think about Akkarin. Sonea turned to the window. Windows were old friends. She remembered the hours she'd spent by them, looking out on the grounds when she's been taught Control by Rothen. Back then she had thought that the Guild was pure evil and wanted nothing more than to be rid of her powers.

She rarely wondered what would have happened if she'd walked away. She knew what would have happened. For one thing, Kyralia would be gone. There would be no more Guild magicians and her life would be a living hell induced by the Sachakan Ichani. Those were not things she wished to think of.

Sonea picked up the folded black robes that had been placed on her bed. A servant had put them there. The servants were to afraid to bother putting them away. They knew she was of stout heart, but black magic made everyone a little bit afraid. Sonea stowed the robes away in her wardrobe. There was a knock at her door. She opened it with a small push of magic. "Hello, Rothen," she said calmly.

"So you just finished your exams," he said, entering the room.

"Yes, I'll get the results in a few hours," she said.

"Did Lady Vinara look pleased?" Rothen asked, sitting down.

"You know, I can never really tell with her."

Rothen chuckled. "You do look like you want to wait around here."

"No, but if I leave then I get an escort into the city and you know how I just love that," Sonea replied sarcastically. "Not that I don't mind your company when it's you, but really most of them hate it when I go into the slums."

"I would take you, but I have a meeting with Osen in an hour," Rothen said. "Dannyl's visiting for a bit though with his yearly ambassador report. Go harass him."

Sonea smiled. "Yeah, I think I will. Did he bring his friend, Tayend, with him?"

"Yes, I think he did," Rothen replied.

"Do you know where he is?" Sonea asked.

"His rooms probably."

Sonea nodded. "Have fun with Osen."

Sonea started down the stairs. Dannyl's room was on the lower floors of the Magician's Quarters. She passed a few magicians on her way. Most nodded politely, some of the less conservative ones waved. One or two were showing off their levitating skills. What a waste of magic.

Sonea knocked on Dannyl's door. Dannyl opened it and smiled when he saw her. "Hey, I heard about your Healing exams," he said. "How'd they go?"

"Alright, I think. But I have to wait around for a few hours and I'd rather not stay in the Guild."

"Yeah, I remember I ran as fast as I could into the city when I was waiting for my Alchemy results. You should go find Rothen to take you into the city," Dannyl added.

"Well I would, but he's got a meeting with Osen in an hour. Are you busy?"

Dannyl looked apologetic. "Actually, I am. I'm really sorry. They've loaded me with paperwork and want my entire report in writing. Too lazy to just listen to me talk, if you ask me."

Sonea laughed. "Ok. Well, good luck with the hand cramps."

"I really am sorry," Dannyl added as she turned to go.

"It's no big deal," she insisted.

Sonea sighed and headed out for the grounds. It was snowing and she quickly made a barrier around herself. It was fascinating to watch the snow just slide off of her shield. The grounds really did look beautiful this time of year. Sonea strode on, racking her brain for the name of someone who wouldn't make such a fuss about her going into the slums. She would have gone to Dorrien, but things were not only completely awkward between them, but he would want to know absolutely everything about the exams that she did not want to think about.

Osen felt bad for her and would have gone, but he was of course meeting with Rothen that afternoon. Lady Tia, the novice librarian, pretty much cried every time she went into the slums and Sonea didn't feel like consoling her at this point. Plus it wasn't like she could just shut down the library whenever Sonea felt like it. Sonea admittedly didn't have a very long list of people to ask and she didn't want to ask anyone else.

She continued onward, now becoming sullen. She'd wanted to go visit Jonna, Ranel, and her two little cousins to get her mind off things. She wanted to stop in and visit Cery and catch up with him. She hadn't seen him in weeks. Now she couldn't do any of those things. "Magicians," she muttered under her breath.

"What about them?" asked a cocky voice.

She looked around to see Regin walking towards her. "Hello, Regin," she said forcedly. He may have helped her during the invasion, but she still remembered her novice days, even though he had been nothing but kind to her ever since.

"Hello, Sonea," he said. "So what were you saying about magicians?"

His voice held none of the competitive and vain air that it used to, so she humored him with an answer. "I had my healing exams today. I wanted to go out into the slums to visit my family, but no one's really around to escort me that doesn't mind the slums so much. That would be why I was muttering about magicians."

Regin looked thoughtful. "Technically, I'm a fully qualified magician," he said, gesturing to his red robes. He's picked the Warrior art. "I suppose I could take you."

"Why would you do that?" Sonea asked suspiciously.

Regin shrugged. "I have promised to be nicer to you," he offered.

"But you see, I wanted to go with someone who doesn't shudder and all that when they see the kind of stuff that happens in the slums. You wouldn't like it there."

"I have nothing better to do," he countered. "I promise I'll keep my disgusted shuddering to a minimum."

Sonea looked at him incredulously. "You're serious? You want to go?"

"If you'll let me," Regin said. "It's your decision."

Sonea blinked at him for a minute. "Fine. But you'd better not complain."

"Oh, I'd never complain. You're a scary black magician after all."

Sonea snorted. "Let's go."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Sonea knocked on her aunt and uncle's door. It took them a few moments, but Jonna eventually came to the door, looking a little tired. She instantly brightened when she saw her niece. "Oh, Sonea, come in, come in," she said, ushering them out of the cold. "Ah, who's this one? Haven't seen him before." Jonna leaned in and whispered in Sonea's ear, "He's cute."

Sonea blushed. "Honestly," she said, shaking her head. "This is Lord Regin."

Jonna gave him a little bow. "Welcome," she said formally.

Regin nodded and watched them quietly. He was never this close with his aunt and uncle. Jonna treated Sonea like her own daughter.

"How're my little cousins doing?" Sonea asked.

"Oh, they're coming along," Jonna said, leading them into the kitchen where the two tots were playing on the floor.

"My they've gotten big," Sonea exclaimed.

"You wait here," Jonna told them. "I'll go get Ranel." She started up a staircase. "RANEL! RANEL!"

Sonea smiled. "This is bigger than their last house," she told Regin.

"Bigger?" Regin slipped.

"It's ok to be shocked," Sonea told him. "Even the less arrogant ones are. Jonna and Ranel finally got a house with a second floor. Personally, I think a decent house in the slums like this beats out the stayhouses in the city."

Regin was saved the discomfort of responding by the arrival of Sonea's uncle. "Hai, Sonea," he exclaimed. "Look at you!"

"I look exactly the same," Sonea said laughing. "Now your little ones there, they've really grown."

"They have," Ranel agreed. "How have you been?"

"Well enough, and you?"

"We're doing fine," Ranel said.

"I wish you'd come live with me," Sonea said. She said that every time she visited.

"We really can't," Jonna said. "It's not you. We just don't want to move the little ones around."

"I know," Sonea said. "It's just lonely with all the magicians."

"Hai, who's this?" Ranel said, taking notice of Regin.

"That's Lord Regin."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

They stayed with Jonna and Ranel for a few hours. But soon her aunt and uncle had to get back to work, so Sonea left after tucking a few of her coins in random places for them to find. Jonna wouldn't take it if she gave it outright. Sonea and Regin rode in the small carriage they'd been given at the Guild gates. "They're nice people," Regin said after awhile.

"Yeah, they are. They've had a hard life, but they've made the best of it. They're honest people."

"Is that why you hid all that money?" Regin asked.

"You noticed?"

He nodded.

"Jonna won't take it if I give it to her. Ranel used to but she got on his case about it, so now I have to hide it for them to find. Then they can pretend that they didn't realize there was money hidden there or something."

"Where are we going now?" Regin asked.

"We're looking for someone," Sonea said evasively.

"Ah, your Thief," Regin said.

"Maybe." She signaled for the carriage driver's attention. "Stop here!"

They climbed out in front of a worn looking bolhouse. "In there?" Regin asked, trying to hide his distaste.

"Yes. You promised," she reminded him.

Regin steeled himself and followed her in. The atmosphere wasn't as bad as he feared. No one bothered to really look at them. They couldn't see their magicians' robes with their heavy winter cloaks on. Sonea headed straight for the counter. "Two," she said, passing the tender a coin. He nodded and gave her two warm mugs. She handed one to Regin. He looked at it questioningly. "It's good," she said. "Dannyl likes it."

The possibility that a magician could like it reassured Regin and he drank it. It was good. It was warm and had a pleasing taste about it.

"I told you so," Sonea said, drinking hers. She turned back to the tender. "Is Ceryni around?"

"Who's asking?"

"Sonea," she said.

"He's upstairs, third door on the left."

"Thank you." She turned to Regin again. "Come on."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Cery had been pleased to see Sonea. He'd recognized Regin as well and had a hearty laugh about it. His business was doing well, even though his main connections with Akkarin were gone. He had a lot of sway among the Thieves after the invasion. They talked for an hour or so, but by then, it was getting dark out and Sonea decided she'd better head back to the Guild. Her exam results were bound to be ready and she didn't have anyone else to go see.

They were back in the carriage again, almost out of the slums. "I like him," Regin decided. "He's alright."

Sonea regarded the somewhat enlightened Regin. "Maybe you are too."

"Really?" Regin looked a bit shocked. He wasn't expecting to be forgiven, only tolerated.

"Yeah, I think so," Sonea said thoughtfully. "You've grown a little less arrogant, I think."

"I'm glad you think so. I was awful to you. I realized how wrong I was during the invasion. Everything changed. Everything I thought was right turned out wrong." He caught sight of Sonea's expression. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"It's ok."

There was an awkward silence. "So, you'll get your exam results back," he said quietly.

"Yeah."

"Do you think you did alright?"

"I hope so. As soon as I'm a Healer, I want to start a hospice in the slums."

"That's fantastic," he said.

"It's a start," she said cynically.

"A start?"

"I'm going after the Purge next," she said almost wickedly.

Regin nodded.

The carriage rolled to a stop. They were back in the Guild grounds again. Regin and Sonea walked quietly up to the University. There was a bulletin board in the entrance hall where the exam results were posted. Regin followed her even though he didn't have to. Sonea walked up to the board and scrolled through the list to her name. And next to it…

"I PASSED!" She spun around and somehow found herself clutching Regin in an embrace. Time seemed to stop. He was taller than her and he was strong. Her aunt's words echoed briefly in her mind. _He's cute. _They stared at each other and in that brief moment they leaned in and kissed. _Hmm… I guess he is a bit cute. _

**I don't know, the irony of it all is funny. Review if you've got a moment. **


	2. The Dead Man's Child

**Ok, so I thought this was just going to be a oneshot, but then I started to get ideas. So I think this is going to become a drabble series that are all SoneaxRegin. I'll try to make it somewhat chronological, but they may end up out of order. I'll let you know when it happens. Anyway, this one is based off the first. **

Sonea woke up around the same time every day, early in the morning. She'd developed the habit in her novice years to avoid other people and these days it served the same purpose. The slight twang of nausea rubbed at her as she rolled out of bed and she healed it away quickly before the threat became a reality. She grumbled as she pulled on her robes. She was starting to show a good deal more and the robes wouldn't hide it much longer.

She locked her door as she went. The hallways in the Magician's Quarters were empty. She made a beeline for the stairs before that no longer became the case. It was still cold outside, but winter had passed into spring with hopes of warmth. When the sun really did come out, the Guild grounds would become quite pleasant. The baths were quiet in the morning. The tiled walls and floors echoed with the slightest sounds only just muffled by the steamy vapors that floated in the air. Sonea made herself a small light in the early morning shadows. It bounced off the fog and well-cleaned tiles giving the room and odd sterile and sanitary glow. Sonea mulled over her plans for the day in the warm water. She would be meeting Regin for lunch around noon—he'd insisted—and then she'd probably head out into the slums with Rothen to visit the hospice.

Sonea stared down at her swelling stomach again. She hadn't noticed at first. After the Sachakan Invasion, she hadn't noticed that she stopped bleeding every month. There was so much going on and so much to do that her body was the last thing on her mind. But a healing class on child birth had brought it all back and she realized. She'd stopped menstruating. She'd been feeling nauseous in the morning. She was gaining weight. Sonea was pregnant with a dead man's child.

Soon after she had her Healing Exams and her budding relationship with Regin had taken off. She was afraid. He would leave her when he found out she was pregnant with another man's child. But she couldn't keep hiding it from him. Her robes wouldn't hide the baby much longer and she could hide her symptoms.

Sonea pulled herself out of the water. The air was cold by comparison, but she ignored it. She pulled on her robes and left. The sun was fully up now and some of the other magicians and novices were dragging themselves out of bed. Most of them eyed her warily. She was their savior and yet she wielded a dangerous power. She wasn't the slum girl anymore, but now black magic inspired fear of her. She hadn't even used it since the Invasion.

Sonea turned herself toward the Healer Buildings. She had nothing to do, so she might as well help out there for a few hours. She still needed some training in more delicate procedures, but she knew most things every Healer needed to know and she would be more helpful there. Not that anyone really showed up to be Healed at this hour. The Guild still only treated the Houses on site, not that slum dwellers would even come to the Guild. Most everyone in the Houses slept to ridiculously late hours. They would come during the afternoons with injuries. Little boys who had fallen off their first horse. Older children who thought they were old enough to handle a weapon. Lady Vinara would probably send Sonea into the fields to gather medicinal plants.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Sonea's servant had just delivered food when there was a knock on her door. "Come in!" The door opened revealing a grinning man in red robes.

"Hello, Regin," Sonea said, smiling (his was contagious).

Regin entered and pecked her lightly on the cheek. He glanced at the meal set out on the table. "All our favorites, I see."

"Yes, they've memorized our habits I'm afraid. Better switch."

"Sounds like a Thief tactic," Regin muttered, sitting down.

"It is," Sonea laughed. Her smile quickly faded. She had to tell him the truth. She had to tell him wrong.

Regin saw the expression on her face. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's… I've got something to tell you," Sonea said. She took a deep calming breath. _Stay calm. Don't freak out. What would Jonna say? She'd tell you to spit it out fast or she'd box your ears. _There were many times that Jonna had forced the truth out of her during her youth.

"OK," Regin said slowly. "What is it?"

"I'm… pregnant," Sonea said.

Regin looked confused. "But we haven't…"

"But Akkarin and I did," Sonea said quietly.

"Oh."

"You can leave if you want. I understand. I mean it's another man's baby." She was babbling uncontrollably now, which was a strange thing she was unused to.

"Why would I do that?" Regin asked.

Sonea froze. "You're not… mad?"

"I love you, Sonea." It was the first time he'd said it to her. She could tell he meant it. "I can't be mad for something that happened before you and I happened. I help you through this. I don't want you to be alone."

Sonea stared at him. This was the boy that had tortured her so long ago? It seemed impossible. She smiled. "I love you too."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Sonea went with Rothen into the slums with her heart lighter than it had been in months. She was going to have a baby, a last connection to Akkarin to keep forever and Regin was ok with it. She smiled at the aged magician next to her. She probably ought to let him in on it at some point, but not yet. The carriage stopped in front of the clean building they'd made for the hospice. Not every dwell trusted the magicians yet, but they'd made a great deal of progress and they were certainly busy every day.

Sonea entered the building, smiling lightly. She couldn't help it. Rothen had asked her a few times why she was so happy. She gave him evasive answers, launching him into memories of when he'd first met her.

Sonea exchanged a few words with Lord Darlen, one of the other Healers, when she entered. He headed off to go get some sleep. He'd spent the night and looked dead tired. That was when Sonea spied Jonna. She was waiting in the crowd, holding one of her little cousins. She told one of the guards to bring her over. Sonea's little cousin Hania had a fever that Jonna couldn't cure. It was simple really. Sonea started preparing herself. She had to tell Jonna. The moment wasn't quite right and Rothen would find out sooner than she'd hoped, but who knew when she might see her aunt again. A barrage of thoughts and pounded her mind all at once. She had no idea how to take care of a baby, but Jonna did.

Jonna decided to come with her. She would get the family together and they'd be in the Guild the next day. Rothen seemed to have a permanent look of bewilderment as the rode home. "But why didn't you tell me right away?" he asked.

"I had some… stuff to deal with. I wasn't ready yet."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

The baby came in the fall. The summer had passed with strange behaviors and cravings. Regin stood by her loyally. He was there to hold her hand through the pain and sat with her in the utter exhaustion. The Healers and Jonna brought over the little baby boy. His hair and eyes were dark and his skin was pale. "He looks like him," Regin told her softly, staring at the little life. He was hooked like it was his own son. "What will you name him?"

Sonea held the baby in her arms. She gazed down at her little child. "I like the name Lorkin."

**Well, I hope that wasn't too short. I have that problem sometimes. Anyway, I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but one of Sonea's cousins is named Hania, which is of course the name of the country Auraya is from in Canavan's Age of Five Trilogy. Coincidence? I think not. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. Updates probably won't be frequent, but they could very well happen. I hope you liked it, and leave a review if you've got a moment. **


	3. Poetry

**So here I am back again with another little drabble. This one is called "Poetry" enjoy.**

Growing up in the slums, Sonea had never experienced poetry. She heard the songs the drunkards sang in the bolhouses, but that could hardly count. The lullabies she vaguely remembered her mother singing and the ones Jonna sang to her little cousins were closer. But still it wasn't the poetry of the Houses.

When she first arrived in the Guild, she was exposed to it. When Rothen taught her to read and write, he showed her some of his poetry books. As she gained more proficiency in the language arts she began to read poetry more frequently. She knew that even Rothen in his private moments would scribble down a few words of a poem here and there. She had seen these etchings when she had searched his room oh so long ago, but she couldn't read back then and Sonea doubted that if she could she would have bothered to read them. Whenever Sonea had asked Rothen about his own poetry, he would color a little and mutter something about them not being particularly good.

Sonea knew she would probably never be able to write as well as any of the poets she read. She was a slum girl. She couldn't spell things properly or use proper grammar half the time, let alone begin to bend the restrictions of writing into poetry. Poetry was a passing pleasure, something she might read, but never have the skills to obtain.

Sonea never knew if Akkarin was a poet. Their time together had been so short that there were many things she would never know about him. She was sure he had some training in the art however. All the young men in the houses did. It was part of their package as eligible young men, a skill with which to woo young noble ladies.

Regin was a beautiful poet. Months after he and Sonea began living together, she came across his writings left askew on the desk. He blushed when she brought them up and, much like Rothen, he insisted that they weren't very good. "Well, I love them," Sonea told him plainly and watched him swell with pride. "And you better teach someone that skill," she added.

"You can't really teach it," Regin said slowly. "Sure, you can teach writing, and phrasing, but you can't teach the meaning behind poetry."

Sonea nodded as his idea clicked with her. Ability did not matter in the way of poetry. It was the meaning and emotions behind them that made them masterpieces. Sonea pulled one of Regin's love poems out of her robe pocket. "So then what were you thinking when you wrote this?" she asked grinning.

Regin took in the piece of paper and mirrored her grin. "I think you know," he said.

In time, Sonea began to feel the need for poetry. She no longer felt her rudimentary writing skills were holding her back. She felt that she needed the words to come out, but as she sat, she did not know what to write. What was there to write? There were hundreds of thousands of love poems. Every aspect of nature and technology was created in printed words. Every human emotion she ever thought possible was written down in such utter completeness and accuracy, she felt her attempts would be laughable if she tried. She was ready to throw down her pen in frustration, when an idea hit her. She swiftly began to pen the words as they flowed into her mind:

_It's a shame _

_When all is done_

_And nothing's left to say_

_It's a shame_

_That poetry_

_Stole new ideas away_

_It's all been done_

_The wind the rain_

_And everything we feel_

_When those poets_

_Expertly_

_Made them feel so real_

_But what is there _

_For those who're left_

_To say poetically_

_When everything_

_There is to say_

_Set another free_

Sonea smiled down at the words that shone slightly from the still wet ink. It was good. She liked it. It was simple. Suddenly she noticed a hot breath on the back of her neck. Regin was behind her, reading what she had just written. She glanced up him. "Well?"

"It's good," he said.

Sonea smiled. "Good answer."

**Well that was another really short drabble. I'm sorry; I just don't have any longer ideas yet. The poem is actually something I wrote. The title is "Everything's Cliché" in case you were wondering. Anywho, don't know if this is old news to everyone else, but I was on Trudi Canavan's website recently, and she's coming out with four more Kyralia based books. The first is a prequel to the BMT, and the other three are a trilogy/sequel to the BMT. The trilogy is actually about Sonea's son, so I went back and switched genders in the second drabble. Very exciting, I'm excited. Anyway, hope you liked the drabble and please review if you have a moment, I didn't get any for the last chapter and I was very sad :( see just look at the sad face. **


	4. Escape From the Gilded Cage

**Hey, Everybody. It's been awhile. I've decided that this drabble is unrelated to the others and I'm calling it: "Escape From the Gilded Cage." Enjoy.

* * *

**

Fall had come to the country of Kyralia. The trees that surrounded the Magicians' Guild were beginning to turn to wondrous shades of crimson and gold. It was beautiful. And it was Sonea's "gilded cage." She had taken to walking up on the walls that surrounded the Guild, staring at the vast expanse of land that laid beyond them, land that she had once been free to explore and land that she had, in fact, roamed with Akkarin not so long ago. It really hadn't been long, but she felt like ages had passed. She felt like a person who was drowning and not just in ordinary water, but mud. Because only drowning by mud could be so oppressive.

Sonea slid her fingers on the smooth, marbled stone the builders chose for the walls. She hated how well-crafted and strong they were. She wanted something delicate to break. But Sonea's emotions were now so completely and thoroughly in check that it was sickening. No flare of anger could ever cross over her features again. If the Guild Magicians saw that she was angry, they would see her as a threat and they would want to destroy her. She tottered on a thin balance beam now that she was the Black Magician.

As if following her train of thought, Sonea's black robes fluttered in the autumn winds. She despised them. She never regretted becoming a black magician. She had done it for good reasons, but she regretted the connotations that came with her dark arts. Imardin still had not been completely repaired. Some of the ludicrous, over-the-top, blatantly snobbish houses in the city had yet to be restored. The fragile things held only by the willpower of magic and ingenuity. They were the ridiculously frail sort of things she longed to break. But, oh, the Houses would be in an uproar if she even came close to destroying their precious homes that flaunted their wealth in ways that made her gag.

* * *

"Whatever is she doing up there?" Dannyl asked Rothen.

"Who?"

Dannyl pointed at the lonely black figure up on the Guild wall.

"Oh," Rothen said. He sounded very tired. "She likes walking up there lately. The Higher Magicians don't like it, but it's not like they can do anything. It's still technically the Guild grounds."

Dannyl grinned. "I admire her spirit."

"It's not spirit that drives her up there," Rothen said sadly.

"No?"

"It's discontent."

Dannyl bit his lip and glanced back as Sonea's figure. She was trapped in here. Of course she would be discontent. Why hadn't he seen it before?

Rothen seemed to read his mind. He couldn't of course. He just knew his expressions so well. "Because you're still a bit naïve, my young friend," he answered.

"Still," he agreed. His gaze yet lingered on Sonea. "Do you think it would have been more merciful if she had died during the invasion? If she had gone with him?"

Rothen instantly wanted to reply 'no.' But he knew better. He knew in his heart that Sonea had little left to live for, other than to honor Akkarin's memory by protecting what had been dear to him. "I think so," he said at last, "but that doesn't mean she should die."

"Of course not."

"The Higher Magicians are angry with me too, of course," Rothen said, determined to drive away the difficult subject.

"Why is that?"

"I won't tell her to stop walking on the wall," he replied.

Dannyl grinned broadly again. "Now this time, I know it is spirit that I'm admiring."

"And this time you are right," Rothen said. "Once in a blue moon…"

"Hey!"

**

* * *

**

There was another young man watching the Guild's one and only Black Magician up on the wall. The beautiful setting sun matched his brilliant red Warrior robes. His name was Regin and he belonged to one of Imardin's noble and affluent houses. He had been a classmate of Sonea's and, during their early years together; he had been, in the plainest terms, a complete and utter jackass. Physical, verbal, and emotional torture—and it had only ended when Sonea had proven she was made of better stuff and, to use the colloquialism, "mopped the floor with him."

But now, the young Warrior watched her, silhouetted against the sunset with her robes sifting gently in the breeze. Regin had never had a clear image of what beauty was supposed to be. He had been raised with the idea that he had to marry well. Mostly likely a bride would be chosen for him and he would never have to put much effort into it at all. But now, oh now, he found himself watching the one girl—one woman—he had never expected to feel such an unorthodox attraction to.

His longing to touch her resonated deep inside him. Regin did not know where it came from. He did not even know when it started. He only knew that she enchanted him in ways that no other female could. Not that they hadn't tried.

Regin had no control over himself. He found that, much to his conflicted joy and dismay, he was walking steadily down the wall towards Sonea. She didn't notice him coming. She was too absorbed in the distant horizon to even bother with the things that lay close by.

Unwillingly, his voice spoke for him. "Good evening, Lady Sonea."

She turned to look at him. "Good evening, Lord Regin. May I ask when you started calling me 'lady'?"

Regin averted his eyes. "I… do not know."

"Are you well?" she asked for politeness sake.

"I suppose so," he replied. "And yourself?"

Sonea looked away at the sunset again. "Physically, I suppose I am," she said.

"But otherwise?"

"Otherwise, I am very unwell. But it should not worry you, Regin."

Regin seemed to feed off of her very words. She spoke so eloquently now. Far more so than she had when they were novices. "I'm afraid I must contradict you. I am very concerned for your wellbeing."

Her dark eyes seemed to bore into his own. "Why? When have you ever been concerned for my wellbeing?"

His heart twanged. She thought he was back to his old childish pranks and misdeeds. "Since I stopped being a boy and became a man."

Sonea's lips curled into a smile. "That happens to very few magicians it seems. May I ask when that happened?"

"When you saved Imardin and all of Kyralia."

"Akkarin did most of the work," she said quietly.

"But not without you."

"You're too generous with your praise."

"I could not be generous enough," Regin blurted out before he could stop himself.

She looked at him carefully. "What do you mean by that?"

Regin panicked. His mind shouted all sorts of horrible and vulgar insults at him. He bit his lip. "I mean… I mean that I have grown to regard you in a different manner."

"What sort of manner is that?" Sonea asked.

She was not making things easy for him. "A manner that goes beyond simple respect and admiration," he said.

"You mean… affection?"

"I… I cannot explain it," he said.

"I see," she said softly.

She was silent for a long time. Regin could not stand it any longer. He bolted, leaving her to gaze after him, wearing an expression that even poets could not describe.

**

* * *

**

Regin avoided Sonea all week. It wasn't hard considering she was the only one around the guild who wore black and it was easy to tell she was coming by the reactions of other magicians.

In the past few months, the roof of the University had become one of his favorite places in the Guild. The few magicians who actually had access to it hardly ever had time to go up there. Regin went to the roof to think more often than not.

The autumn winds still blew persistently about the Guild grounds. He would have been cold if not for the tiny bubble of heat he wrapped around himself with magic. Regin watched the miniature dots of the various magicians that walked below his serene escape. He was almost sleepy. Time seemed to pass more slowly up on the University roof.

Perhaps it was naïve of him to expect that he would be completely alone up there, but nearly every time he went he was alone, unless he brought someone along. But a little shock was normal considering that the person who came out onto the roof with him was the very person he had been avoiding all week, that beautiful, mysterious person.

"Good afternoon, Regin," Sonea said. "I hope I'm not interrupting any important thoughts. I know I am not the only one who comes here to think."

"Good afternoon," he replied. "You did not interrupt anything."

"Regin, may I confide something in you?"

He looked at her strangely. "Of course."

"I have been very unhappy lately. I have felt isolated and alone in the Guild. Even with good friends like Rothen and Dannyl, I have not been content." She paused to emit a small sigh. "I'm beginning to think I may be able to get past all that though," she said.

"How will you do that?" he asked.

She smiled at him and he became very aware of just how close she was. "Do you still feel… affection?" she asked quietly. Regin could feel her soft breath on his face.

"Yes," he replied.

"Then I will get past it because of you," she said. Her lips traced over his softly. They were warm. Tentatively, he slid a hand up toward her face and slipped his fingers through her hair. It was softer than he had imagined. She felt very small all of a sudden, as if the dominating presence that followed her as a black magician had vanished the instant they touched.

He smiled at her. "I think I can do that."

* * *

**Wow, that was seriously fluffy. Anyway, I'd like to thank everyone who has been reading my drabbles. They've gotten so many hits I'm utterly amazed. Review if you can spare a moment. Arigato ('cause I have "I Think I'm Turning Japanese" stuck in my head)!**


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